Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!lll-tis!ames!nrl-cmf!cmcl2!rutgers!mcnc!rti!ntcsd1!stephenk
From: stephenk@ntcsd1.UUCP (Stephen Keilholz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Formatting 720Kb 3.5" disks on XT clone
Message-ID: <279@ntcsd1.UUCP>
Date: 8 Feb 88 21:11:07 GMT
References: <3814@umn-cs.cs.umn.edu>
Reply-To: stephenk@ntcsd1.UUCP (Stephen Keilholz)
Organization: Northern Telecom,  Research Triangle Park,  North Carolina
Lines: 33
Summary: DRIVER.SYS Required for more K.

In article <3814@umn-cs.cs.umn.edu> schmitz@umn-cs.cs.umn.edu (Thomas Schmitz) writes:
>Why doesn't the DOS FORMAT command work correctly when formatting
A
>3.5-inch diskettes on an XT clone?  The format steps through 40 tracks
>correctly, then fails.
>
>The system in question is MS DOS 3.2 (or PC DOS 3.3) on an XT clone
>with a Toshiba 3.5" 720K drive.  So far, only 360-K formats are
>successful.
>

Tom,

You need to include a reference to DRIVER.SYS in your CONFIG.SYS to
tell DOS that the drive is a 720K drive (actually that it has 80 tracks).
You can also use it to add tracks to 5 1/4" floppies -- just define them
as 43 track drives.  I have been able to successfully format 3.5 inch disks
with 84 tracks and 5.25 inch disks with 43.  (Not recommended but it can be
done.)

If you do not format disks daily, you can install the DRIVER.SYS, format all
your disks, then remove it from your CONFIG.SYS.  DOS Recognizes the format
of disks after they have been formated.  

If you need the specifics for installing DRIVER.SYS and can't find them in
any reference books (DOS Manuals or other DOS books) let me know and I'll 
check it outt (at home.)

Stephen Keilholz
{WhereIAm}ntcsd1!stephenk

P.S.  My system is DOS 3.2, PC-Clone, and Toshiba 3.5" Drive.
S.K.